Advancing Beauty and Beauty Practices
Today, the Collectif de la Science et de La Beauté brings together several Founders of Beauty brands of all nationalities, who all share the same desire: to advance Beauty and its Practices through Science.
The beauty and wellness industry is saturated with terms like "anti-aging", "clean", "natural", "green" and "non-toxic", and it can be difficult as consumers to understand what these words really mean. Aware of this difficulty, our mission is tobring greater transparency to the industry and create better products.
This is why the Collective proposes :
- Support for new founders with mentoring hours
- Networking with other women scientists running beauty companies.
- Raising media and investor awareness of the value of science and technology
- A Slack community where we can lean on each other for questions, resources and fact-checking.
If you are, a founder in Beauty and are passionate about these topics, visit scienceofbeauty.org or email hello@scienceofbeauty.org to join our discussions and be invited to our Slack chats.
The Founders
Women of science or Beauty Experts, the founders and participants of this Collective have all created Beauty brands based on a scientific and innovative approach.
The health of the skin and its microbiome, consumer diversity, the search for more minimalist or preservative-free products, social involvement, transparency and education are just some of the values at the heart of the brands we have created.
We also know how to design and conduct experiments and studies to generate the data needed to validate product claims regarding ingredients, sustainability and performance. We too are consumers, and like those to whom we market our products, we know how competitive the beauty industry is, and how confusing its messages can be for consumers.
Hélène Azancot, founder of Yodi Beauty, a French beauty brand that strives to reconcile naturalness, effectiveness and safety. With the conviction that "what we put on our skin is as important as what we eat", she launched her company in September 2020. Her mission: to bring more awareness and transparency to our beauty routines with minimalist formulas, and dermatologist-tested and patented products.
Elsa Jungman, Ph.D, founder of Dr Elsa Jungman (San Francisco), specialized in skin science and entrepreneur. She holds a PhD in pharmacology and began her career in R&D at L'Oréal in Paris.
Barbara A Paldus, Ph.D, founder of Codex Beauty (Atherton, Bay Area), is a scientist, entrepreneur and investor. Prior to launching Codex Beauty, she spent 20 years leading innovation in spectroscopy, telecommunications and biotechnology.
Carol A. Christopher, Ph.D, founder of Ellis Day Skin Science (Bay Area), is a chemical engineer. She has spent over 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the development of new therapies.
Angela Chau Gray, L.Ac, founder of YINA.CO (San Francisco), is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist. She studied plant biology at UC Berkeley before earning her master's degree in traditional Chinese medicine. She co-founded Yina with Ervina Wu, Ph.D. in dermatology and traditional Chinese medicine.
Lorrie King and Celeste Lee, founders of CaireBeauty (New York City), focus on needs during the menopause period (especially with the hormonal decline).
Rahama Wright, founder of Shea Yeleen (Washington DC), is a social entrepreneur working at the intersection of politics and economic development. After serving in the Peace Corps, she launched Shea Yeleen.
Kailey R. Bradt, founder of Susteauofficial (New York), is a chemical engineer by trade and an entrepreneur at heart. At the age of 23, she developed the first powder shampoo that activates on contact with water.
Alessandra Zonari, PhD, founder of OneSkin (San Francisco), holds a PhD and is a researcher in stem cell biology. She is an alumna of IndieBio, the world's leading biotech gas pedal. She moved to Silicon Valley from Brazil in 2016 to co-found her company with Carolina Reis de Oliveira.
Britta Cox, founder of Aquis Hair Care and K18 (San Francisco), a patented biomimetic hair care product approved by hairdressing professionals.
And also :
Corie Miller, founder of Young King Hair Care (Atlanta)
Victoria Fu, founder of Chemist Confessions (Los Angeles)
Marie Drago, Doctor of Pharmacy and founder of Gallinee (London).
A look back at our first ClubHouse conversation
Organized by the FABFashion and BeautyTech community, the first ClubHouse discussion of the Science of Beauty Collective enabled founders from very different backgrounds to exchange and share their experiences and advice on topics such asproduct development, business development, partnerships, product testing...
" Talking with Carol and Barbara (just before the pandemic), we came up with the idea of raising awareness of how science is used in beauty, and helping other beauty brand founders. The Beauty Science Collective was born in San Francisco! We took the time to bring together leaders from different cultures - all with a passion for science - and this reinforced our desire to help people find the right information and scientific approaches to beauty. We are a movement," explains Elsa Jungman, Ph.
Product development
Elsa Jungman: " When developing a product, try to find out what result you want on the skin or hair, and figure out how to prove it. In our case, for example, we wanted very gentle, non-irritating products that wouldn't attack the microbiome, so we found the laboratories that could carry out these tests. "
Hélène Azancot : " Take the time to draw up your formulation charter, including what you want (labels, certifications, etc.), and what you don't want in terms of ingredients and sourcing. Define your target market (skin type, efficacy, sensitivity). And don't hesitate to spend time with your laboratory to ensure that you will be consistent in the formulation process, and that you fully understand the deadlines and processes "
Choosing your suppliers
Elsa Jungman: " You need to know how to ask your suppliers the right questions, and be aware of the different regulations: European regulations are not the same as FDA regulations, they don't have the same list of prohibited ingredients, and European countries have stricter standards. Thesame applies to your distributors: you need to understand their standards .
Ingredients, safety
Rahama Wright: " We need to take a holistic approach to creating more science-based beauty products. For the consumer, sourcing is as important as product efficacy and benefits. "
Carol Christopher: " Preservative efficacy testing is just as important for water-containing products as it is for water-freeproducts.The presence of preservatives doesn't mean that a product isn't "clean", but that the product is protected against the development of microbes that could be harmful to you."
Product tests
Barbara Paldus: " We are a community of founders in the beauty and wellness field, who value science, data and transparency, and who want to work with other like-minded women. The stakes of testing are high. Asfounders, we place great importance on the safety of our customers. "
Developing a business, community/partnerships
Alessandra Zonatri: " Exploit potential partnerships with universities close to the region where your company is based ".
Lorrie King and Celeste Lee: " Surround yourself with the best people to advise you, if you don't have a scientific background. Not all great founders have PhDs. But you need that expertise "
Elsa Jungman: " It's important to see other players in our sector as allies, not competitors. For us, it's great to be able to exchange ideas with each other and learn from each other's experiences. "
Angela Chau: " We take a more holistic approach to beauty. Inspired by traditional Chinese medicine and integrated with green science. In particular, we have TCM Wellness Ambassadors "
Team, resources, advice
Rahama Wright: " Develop a community of advisors and opinion leaders, especially in the early days when your resources are still limited. Surrounding yourself with the right people is a game-changer and can help your company overcome many challenges .
Join our next discussions!
Fab Fashion and BeautyTech on April 2,16h00 on ClubHouse
The Science of Beauty Collective on April 22, 16h00 on ClubHouse
Webinar on May 5at 16:00 on Eventbrite organized by Fab Fashion and BeautyTech
Read the whole discussion here